Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas, a Chathaoirligh Gníomhaigh. Ba mhaith liom ar dtús báire fáilte a chur roimh an Aire Stáit don díospóireacht. The Minister of State is welcome to the House for the debate. I have listened intently thus far. I have a Second Stage speech, which is primarily technical in nature. I suppose I can sum it up by saying that much like my Sinn Féin colleagues in the Dáil, we support this important legislation and will work with the Minister of State and our colleagues as it progresses through this House to help ensure it is as good as it can be. My colleagues have acknowledged and said that this legislation stems primarily from the Ellis case. That has been outlined by the Minister of State and other colleagues so I do not need to rehearse its technical importance.

I want to make a couple of observations and points, respectfully. I agree with the sentiment as to why this legislation is necessary and important, as my Sinn Féin colleagues in the Dáil argued when the Bill progressed through that House. The heart of the matter must be about supporting communities and victims of crime, and ensuring that people are kept safe. That must be the crux of considerations. In taking on board all of the legal and technical points that some of our more learned friends have made already during this debate, we must also be alert to the needs of communities and the lived experiences out there. We must ensure that the Garda is involved at every level and that community policing is front and centre in tackling repeat offenders. We must also ensure that communities feel safe, able and emboldened to help all of the relevant agencies to come together and tackle the scourge of criminality on our communities and also in understanding why some people have become criminals and how they have been exploited, in some instances, to be repeat offenders.

I do not know if I picked something up wrong, but I take issue with the notion of defining postcodes. There are statistics that point to the presence of repeat offenders in certain postcodes but that does not suggest for one minute that there is not criminality in other postcodes, that repeat offenders are not engaged in criminal activity in other areas, or that some of those who are overseeing the repeat offences and criminality are not sitting quite comfortably in certain postcodes, while other postcodes endure the suffering. The point of Second Stage is to have these sorts of debates and talk about legislation in its broadest sense. I have a feeling that my colleague, Senator Ruane, will home in on some of those issues, given her own experience of working with communities, not least on the front line.

I again make the overarching point that we are clear that this legislation needs to be supported. It needs to become a fact. However, we also need to ensure that we in this House are fluid and that we can adapt, understand, appreciate and work to the needs of communities. We must understand the lived experience out there. Ultimately, we must be sure and clear in our conviction that we want to enable all of the relevant agencies and parts of this State to tackle the scourge of criminality and to keep our communities safe.